


Levi becomes a parent

by Animeangel1798



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Gen, Kidnapping, mentions of abuse
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-03-16
Updated: 2015-06-13
Packaged: 2018-03-18 04:20:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 7,415
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3555818
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Animeangel1798/pseuds/Animeangel1798
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A six year old Armin shows up on Levi's front porch at 6 in the morning covered in bruises. Levi can't not help him. This is an au where Levi is a high school teacher and Armin's grandpa died way earlier and he's taken in by an abusive foster family. Mainly parental Levi x Armin but other characters will be there as well. Rated for language and mentions of abuse. NO YAOI.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Levi was woken by a knock on the front door and looked at the raised an eyebrow who was knocking on his door at 6 in the morning? He sighed and got up. He went to the front door and opened it but there was nobody there. He cursed about stupid kids and was about to close the door when a sound drew his attention. he looked down and was surprised to see a small boy standing on his front porch. The boy looked up at him with tears on his cheeks. Levi frowned, the boy was

covered in bruises and looked to be about 5, he had chin length blonde hair and wide blue eyes. "What are you doing here?" Levi asked. The boy squirmed but didn't speak. Levi sighed "You may as well come in, don't touch anything." The boy nodded and followed Levi inside. The boy glanced around a little but didn't move to touch anything. Levi took him into the living room and told him to sit. He rubbed his forehead. "What's your name?"

The boy peeked up at him, still crying a little, and seemed to gather a bit of courage. "Armin Arlert sir." Levi nodded "Where are your parents?" The boy hung his head "They died."  
Levi sighed "Are you staying with a relative then." The boy shook his head "My grandpa died a month ago and I've been staying with a foster family." Levi nodded

"Do you need me to call them?" The boy flinched "They... they don't want me." Levi raised an eyebrow "Why do you say that?"  
Armin blinked back more tears "They dropped me off about an hour ago and told me to go die sir." Levi leaned back in shock and then nodded. "Wait here. Don't move." Armin nodded and Levi left the room. He frowned as he made his way to the kitchen, people made him sick sometimes. Abusing a child and telling him to go die?

What kind of person thought that was a good thing to do. He sighed and reached for the phone. He dialed the number and waited, after a couple of rings somebody picked up "Hello?" said the voice on the other end. "Erwin. I have a bit of a situation."  
Said Levi. Erwin laughed "What have you done now Levi?"

Levi glared at the phone "I haven't done anything it's what idiots have done to a small child who has shown up on my door step. I want you and Hanji over here as soon as possible." Erwin nodded on the other end though Levi couldn't see it "Alright Levi. I'll call Hanji and we'll come over." Levi sighed "Hurry."  
then he hung up. He turned to go back to the living room and stopped short as he saw Armin in the door way. "I thought I told you to stay in the other room." he said in an annoyed voice.

Armin, who'd just calmed down teared up again. "I'm s..sorry sir b..but I need use the potty and I d..don't know where it and.. and..." he trailed off tears streaming down his face and Levi sighed "Okay. I understand, You're not in trouble you can stop crying." Armin nodded and wiped at his face. Levi shook his head "The bathroom is down the hall to the right, first door. Please wash your hands when your done." Armin nodded and left Levi rolled his eyes and went back to the

living room. A couple of minutes later Armin came back. Levi glanced at him "Sit down."  
Armin nodded and sat on the couch. They sat in silence for about ten minutes before there was a knock on the door again. Levi went to answer it and came back seconds later Erwin and Hanji in tow. Hanji took one look at Armin and squealed "He's such a cutey Levi!"

she went to snatch Armin into a hug but he flinched rather violently.  
She stepped back. "Oh." Erwin shook his head "Honestly Hanji I told you this was a serious possibility." Hanji nodded,  
looking grave "I was hoping you were wrong." Levi sighed "Well obviously he wasn't can we move on now?" Hanji nodded and Erwin spoke "What's his name?"

Levi looked at Armin "His name is Armin Arlert. His parents and grandparents are dead and he's been staying with an abusive foster family. They dropped him off on the side of the road about an hour ago with the advice to 'go die'. That is all I know." Erwin nodded looking disturbed, Hanji looked like she wanted to cry "people can be so cruel." She whispered the turned to Armin "How old are you Armin?"

Armin glanced a Levi warily then spoke "6." Hanji nodded "can you tell me the name of your foster family?" Armin's head shot up "Are you going to bring me back? I don't want to go back! If I go back they'll hurt me again. They told me." Hanji shook her head and spoke in a soothing voice "We won't bring you back and we won't tell them where you are but we need to tell somebody that they did bad things to you." Armin shook his head frantically "No. They said they'd do bad thing to me if I told.

They said they'd put me in a hole in the woods and leave me there."  
Hanji cringed in disgust "That's horrible!" Armin flinched "Did I do something wrong?" Hanji realised what she'd done "Oh no, you didn't do anything wrong Armin but your foster family did. We won't tell them you told on them. It'll be our little secret." Armin looked a little scared still "Pinky promise?" he held out his pinky,

Hanji smiled "Pinky promise." she sealed the deal with her own pinky and Armin nodded "My mommy once told me that a promise made on a finger is the most important of all, but the most powerful ones are on your marriage fingers and your pinkies." Hanji smiled "Your mommy sounds very smart." Armin nodded "She was really smart, and pretty." Hanji sighed "Okay Armin. What was your foster families name." Armin nodded "Their names our Martha and Danny Rodall." Hanji

smiled "thank you Armin you're a big help. We won't tell them you told us." Armin nodded and smiled a little back Levi shook his head in the background "How does she do it? I couldn't say one word to the boy without him looking intimidated and he called me sir, but she say's a few things and suddenly he's smiling?" Erwin laughed "Anybody would be intimidated by you Levi. You have one of those kind of faces, even though you're so small." Levi shot him an annoyed look but

didn't comment. Erwin spoke up then "Now that we've done that, where is he going to go?" Everybody looked at him, including Armin who looked a little worried now. Hanji spoke "I don't think he should go back to the orphanage and I can't take care of him, not with my animals." Erwin nodded "I agree but I can't take him either, I work to often." they looked at Levi who looked between the two "What me? You can't be serious." Hanji laughed "You have the safest house and the least work schedule, you also have the most kid experience."

Levi glared "Just because I'm a high school teacher does not make me fit to raise a small child." Erwin gestured to Armin and said "Oh come on, do you really want to send him back to a place that could put him back in the same situation he just got out of? Armin looked at Levi then and his face was scared. Levi crumbled under the weight of that face and his responsibility as a good person, he sighed "Okay.  
He can stay here."

Armin looked happy and so did Hanji and Erwin, and Levi had to admit (Though not out loud) that he'd be glad to have some company around the house, even if it was a small child that he'd have to take care of. They talked some more before Armin got tired and drifted to sleep on the couch. Hanji and Erwin left soon after and Levi sighed. He could either wake the kid or lug him up the stairs. He went to wake the kid up but thought better of it.

The kid deserved a break for once so he picked him up, Armin was very light, and carried him up to one of his spare rooms. He set him on the bed and pulled the covers over him. He left the room and went back to bed, it was a weekend after all, he didn't have to work until Monday. In his room Armin curled into a ball and smiled a little in his sleep.


	2. Chapter 2

Levi was woken a couple hours later by a tentative knock on his bedroom door. He sighed as he got up. He opened the door and looked down at Armin "Yes?"

Armin looked shyly up at him "Can I get breakfast sir?"

Levi nodded "I suppose also you don't have to call me sir, call me Levi." Armin's eyes widened a little and he nodded Levi shook his head and lead the way to the kitchen with Armin following behind.

He made eggs and toast and when Armin finished he told him to wait in the living room while he got ready.

Armin looked up "Are we going somewhere?"

Levi nodded "I have to get you some clothes and stuff. I don't want you walking around in dirty clothing all the time."

Armin nodded and went to wait in the living room, he looked around bored and his eyes lit up when he saw some books. He stopped, last night Levi had told him not to touch anything did the rule still apply? He hesitated a second longer before he became so bored he was willing to risk it, if Levi hit him for it it wouldn't hurt to bad and really if Levi had rules to follow he should have told Armin right away.

He grabbed a small but thick book and looked at the cover. The Wizard of Oz? He'd never heard of that before.

He looked around one more time before sitting on the couch and starting to read, he made it ten pages in before Levi came back but Armin didn't notice, he was to engrossed in the book.

Levi cleared his throat and Armin jumped, he quickly closed the book and set it aside "I.. I didn't know if you didn't wanted me to still not touch anything but I really like books and I'm sorry if I wasn't supposed to but I-"

Levi cut him off "It's fine, I'm not going to yell at you for reading a book."

Armin sighed in relief and Levi glanced at his watch "If your good I'll buy you a book while were out."

Armin looked up at him with a wide smile, seeming to forget his usual shyness, "You will! Thank you Mr. Levi!"

Levi sighed but gave the kid a tiny smile "Drop the Mr. okay kid. Now get in the car and lets go." Armin nodded still smiling and even bouncing a little, Levi groaned internally.

How was he supposed to take care of an excitable kid? Well at least he was more well behaved then most brats Levi knew, even some of his students didn't act this mature most of the time. They got in the car (Levi had to help Armin with the seat belt) and drove to the store.

Levi got a cart and asked Armin if he wanted to ride in the kids seat, Armin nodded and Levi helped him inside.

They got him some clothes that Armin said he liked and Levi grabbed some supplies for class and some groceries then they made their way to the book section. Levi let Armin out of the cart to pick 1 book, Armin nodded and smiled brightly then went to go look through the books.

Levi made sure to keep an eye on him and sat on a bench to wait. About five minutes later Armin came back with a book

"This is the one you want?"questioned Levi eyeing the rather large book about Ocean animals, Armin nodded and gave Levi a wide smile that Levi had to admit (though not out loud) was rather endearing.

The went to the cash register who rang up the items with a smile at Armin who blushed and hid behind Levi shyly, the cashier giggled and blew Armin a kiss as they walked away and Armin waved, still blushing, Levi rolled his eyes at the rather sweet moment and pulled Armin toward the car Armin turned to smile at him book clenched tightly to his chest "Thank you Levi!"

Levi nodded and buckled Armin in then drove home.

He helped put Armin's clothes away and change him into new ones, throwing the old ones in the washer then went to start dinner while Armin read in his room. An hour later dinner was ready and Armin had made it almost halfway through the book. Levi called Armin into the kitchen and they ate.

Levi spoke "Where do you go to school?"

Armin looked down suddenly "I don't anymore. They took me out of school because I tried to tell on them once."

Levi cringed slightly at the reminder and sighed "I'll have to sign you up for school then. I'm a teacher by the way."

Armin looked up in awe "You are?" Levi nodded and Armin smiled brightly "My mommy was a teacher once, she would let me come with her sometimes. My dad worked at the aquarium."

Levi smiled a little and Armin kept talking, the longer he talked the more comfortable he seemed to get in Levi's presence. He talked about the fish in the aquarium that his dad had taken him to a lot, he talked about the babies his mom used to teach (She was a preschool teacher) he talked about what kinda books he liked and what kinda stuff he liked to do.

Levi would interject with questions and stuff he felt would keep the conversation going and before they knew it they'd talked all the way through dinner.

Levi cleaned up as Armin gave a yawn. Levi glanced at the clock, 9:00. He sighed he'd have to set Armin a bed time and give him some rules to follow and such. "Go to bed Armin."

Armin nodded but hesitated, Levi shot him a questioning look and Armin quickly gave Levi a hug whispered goodnight and fled the room. Levi chuckled and followed.

He knocked on Armin's door and entered, Armin was sitting on his bed with his face buried in the pillow.

Levi smiled "If you wanted a hug you could have asked, I wouldn't have said no."

Armin peeked up from the pillow "You're not mad?"

Levi shook his head "I'm not mad."

Armin scooted closer "C.. can I have a hug?"

Levi nodded and Armin hugged him. It only lasted a couple seconds but Armin seemed much happier afterwards.

Levi smiled "Go to sleep Armin."

Armin nodded and settled under the covers "goodnight Levi."

Levi sighed "good night Armin." the he left the room.

He smiled slightly as he made his way to his own bed, he had to prepare for school in the morning. He stopped and groaned, what would he do with Armin? He headed for the phone and dialed a number

"Yo?" said the voice on the end of the line and Levi sighed

"Hanji. I need you to take Armin for the day tomorrow so I can work."

Hanji shook her head "No can do Levi, my snakes are back from the vet and I have work tomorrow. You could try Erwin."

Levi nodded "Fine." then he hung up. He dialed Erwin's number,

"Hello?" Levi glanced at the clock

"Erwin. I need you to take Armin tomorrow so I can work." Erwin sighed "I have work tomorrow to, did you try Hanji?"

Levi glared at the wall "Her pests are back and she also has to work."

Erwin grimaced "Sorry Levi. Just take him to work with you."

Levi sighed "Fine."

Erwin smiled "hows he doing?"

Levi's glare cooled a little "He's fine. He finally warmed up to me, apparently he likes to read and all I had to do was buy him a book before he decided that I was his best friend."

Erwin laughed "You don't sound to put out about it."

Levi nodded "He's not the worst brat ever, he's more well behaved than some of my students."

Erwin chuckled "Glad to hear your getting along, Hanji already contacted the police about the issue by the way."

Levi slouched against the wall. "That's good to hear. Will they be coming to question him?"

Erwin shrugged and switched the phone to his other ear "They haven't said yet but they most likely will."

Levi rubbed his temple "Alright. Thank you for informing me. I'm going to bed now."

Erwin nodded "Goodnight Levi."

Levi sighed and hung up, then went to bed. He made sure to set his alarm then fell asleep, in his room Armin was curled around the book Levi had bought him.


	3. Chapter 3

The next morning Levi woke up and slammed the button on his alarm clock. He sated all the noise it made. He got up with a sigh and took a shower. Then he got dressed and went to wake Armin up. He shook Armin awake and Armin sat up with a yawn, he looked at Levi with bleary eyes. "Levi?"

Levi sighed "Wake up Armin, you have to come to school with me today." Armin nodded rubbing his eyes, then went to get dressed. Levi went to make a quick breakfast and pack a healthy lunch for Armin, he knew what the school served in the cafeteria was barely fit to be called food on the best days. By the time he was done Armin had bounced into the room, somehow excited and full of energy.

Levi gave an internal wince, he was not a morning person. He gave Armin his breakfast and then rushed him to the car. He buckled him in and started driving. They got there a little late and Levi carried Armin through the building. The halls were nearly empty so he wasn't stopped for anything. He reached his classroom just after the late bell rang and entered the room.

There was instant silence, then whispers started as they noticed Armin. Levi sighed and put Armin down. "Armin, I want you to sit at this table and read or something." he pointed at a spare table in his room. Armin nodded and went to the table to read. His students were still whispering, he glared at them and they shut up.

"Alright brats, you all want to know who he is so I'll tell you. His name is Armin Arlert, he showed up on my door step yesterday at six in the morning. His previous guardians told him, and I quote, 'Go Die' you will not crowd him and you will not ask him lots of questions. Got it?" the room was dead silent Levi nodded in satisfaction "Good. Lets get started then."

They went about class as usual, only interrupted when Armin had walked to Levi's side and tugged his hand. Levi stopped talking and leaned down, Armin whispered in his ear and Levi nodded "All right brats I'll be back in a minute, read on while I'm gone." then he led Armin from the room. Everybody watched them go and when the door closed chaos broke loose.

There were repeated phrases of "He's so cute!", "I wouldn't want to stay with Levi.", and "His family was horrible to him, that's really sad." Eren Jeager smiled "He looks like a cool kid huh Mikasa?" Mikasa shrugged "I guess." Suddenly a snort was heard "As if he'd like you anyway Jeager." it was Jean. Eren glared "I'm great with kids!" he protested,

Jean rolled his eyes "You're to loud and annoying." Eren glared harder "If I'm annoying you're ten time worse!" Jean laughed "Weak excuses Jeager. Just face it, you're suckish with kids." Mikasa broke in then "Levi will be back soon." the room quieted and Jean and Eren shared one last glare before sitting back in there seats. The door opened then and Levi walked back in, Armin was holding his hand and chatting away but when they got back in the room he became shy again and quickly went back to his book.

There were a few more whispered "He's to adorable!"s before Levi once more began teaching. Then lunch came and the students were free from lessons for the moment. Levi left the room for a few minutes. Armin was happily eating his ham sandwich with baby carrots on the side when a girl came over "Hello Armin! My name's Sasha. Would you like some pudding?"

Armin looked at her with wide eyes before nodding with a big smile. Sasha grinned "Here you go." she gave him the pudding and the plastic spoon. Armin set it aside. Sasha frowned "Aren't you going to eat it?" Armin nodded "Yes. But I'm saving the best for last. Thank you." Sasha giggled "Okay. Do you want me to open it for you?" Armin paused for a minute before nodding and continuing his sandwich.

Sasha grabbed the pudding and ripped the lid off then put it back down on the table. "There you go." she said Armin smiled widely at her the continued eating. Sasha wandered away, satisfied with getting to know him a little. Eren and Jean were watching from across the room "Damn, I should have thought of that." muttered Eren, eyeing his own pudding.

Jean scoffed "He wouldn't have taken it from you!" Eren seethed "Lets settle this then!" he began dragging Jean across the room. They stopped in front of Armin who had just started in on his pudding. Eren spoke "Hey Armin, do you think I'm nice?" Armin looked up at him, Jean spoke "Come on Armin tell him the truth, he's terrible isn't he!"

This dissolved into another argument between Eren and Jean that ended a few short moment after it started when Armin began to cry. The stared, feeling horribly useless, neither of them knew how to stop it. Ere tried "Hey, Armin... were sorry. We didn't meant to scare you or anything..." he trailed off when Armin didn't stop.

Jean glared at him and was going to say something when Connie interrupted "Don't start up again guys, you'll make it worse." then he pushed them out of the way. "Hey Armin, you want to see something funny?" Armin shook his head, still crying. Connie shrugged "Then I got nothing." just then Levi came back in the room. Armin shot to Levi's side like a lightning bolt, hugging his knees. Levi raised an eyebrow and picked Armin up.

Armin buried his face in Levi's shoulder and cried. Levi glared around the room "What happened?" Sasha spoke up "Eren and Jean made Armin cry." Levi's eyes zeroed in on them "You two will stay after class. Everybody start the work on page 814, all of it." There were some groans and more than a few glares directed Eren and Jeans way, some for making Armin cry and some for getting everybody in trouble.

Sasha raised her hand and Levi looked at her "Uhm... I just wanted to know if Armin still wanted the pudding I gave him. he never finished it." Levi looked at Armin who nodded into his shoulder. Levi sighed "He wants it." Sasha nodded and began to work. Levi took Armin out into the hall and sat him down. Armin looked at him with teary eyes. Levi handed him a tissue and Armin wiped his face "Are you calm now?" asked Levi.

Armin nodded Levi smiled slightly "Okay. Don't worry, I'll make them apologize then I'll have them cleaning till there fingers bleed." Armin seemed worried "But if they're bleeding wouldn't they just make more of a mess?" Levi blinked in surprise then let out a small laugh "I guess you're right. Then what should I have them do?" Armin thought about it "They should only clean until there fingers almost bleed, that way there's no mess."

Levi nodded, smirking a little. "I like you way of thinking. I'm going to but you another book." Armin was happy again in an instant "Really? Thank you so much!" he hugged Levi and smiled up at him. Levi couldn't resist the smile that came to his face. "All right, you go eat your pudding and I'll finish teaching these brats. Then on the way home we'll stop by the book store." Armin nodded eagerly and practically skipped back into the classroom. Levi shook his head and followed, taking care of Armin may not be as bad as he thought.


	4. Chapter 4

Levi stared at them, they stared back. The classroom was silent except for the sounds of Armin reading in the corner. Levi finally spoke, tired of watching them squirm. "Do you know what you did wrong?" they nodded but neither spoke. Levi looked at them for a moment longer and then called Armin over. Armin came over hesitantly and Levi pulled him in front of him and rested his hands on his shoulders.

He turned Armin to face Eren and Jean. "Armin. They're going to apologize to you." Armin nodded and looked at them expectantly. Eren spoke first "I'm sorry Armin." Armin nodded then it was Jean's turn. Jean looked embarrassed "I'm sorry to." Armin nodded then turned to Levi who let him go back to his book. Levi turned back to them "Now you're going to clean this whole classroom. I want it spotless." Jean looked like he was going to protest but Eren elbowed him in the side.

As they got busy Levi went over to Armin "Come on Armin. We're leaving." Armin nodded, giving him a small smile. They left the classroom and the boys cleaning behind. Armin reached up and grabbed Levi's hand and held it as they walked. Levi was surprised at how quick Armin had come to trust him. He'd only been with Levi for a few days but already he was acting like this. It was a good thing but Levi was still surprised.

Levi got Armin buckled into the car and they went and bought Armin another book. Then they went home. Levi would have to get Armin enrolled in school soon but for now it wasn't that important. Armin went to his room to read the new book and Levi began to grade some papers. Armin came back in the room about 30 minutes later and tugged on Levi's arm. Levi looked at him. Armin smiled "Can I have a snack Levi?" Levi looked at the clock "No. Dinner will be soon."

Armin nodded then hopped up on the couch "What are you doing?" Levi started grading again but answered "I'm grading papers." Armin nodded then hopped off the couch "I'm gonna read some more." then he left. Levi didn't even look up. He finished grading about 20 minutes later then went to make dinner. He called Armin when he finished and Armin came into the room. Armin smiled when he saw what they were eating "I love hamburgers." he said Levi smiled and they began to eat.

After dinner Levi helped Armin take a bath and then helped him change into his pj's. Armin settled into bed and smiled "Goodnight Levi." Levi smiled back "Good night Armin." Levi left the room and sat down in the living room. He turned on the TV and began flipping channels till he settled on the news. They were doing a report on some child abuse charge, he was barely paying attention until he heard a familiar name

"...Danny Rodall and his wife Martha were taken into custody on child abuse charges. They police received an anonymous tip. They had suspected Martha and Danny for a while but couldn't get a warrant but the tip off was the thing they were looking for. They found a diary detailing the abuse of 12 children over the years, all but five of these children are children that have been found dead on the streets. The police are not revealing the names of the five unaccounted for but do say that Martha and Danny abandoned all the children in the streets and the five may have been found and are still alive."

Levi blinked in shock before what he'd heard fully hit him. Armin was one of 12, only five of those children had lived and Armin was one of them thanks to Levi. He needed to thank Hanji somehow. It have to be something special. Just then he heard a loud cry coming from Armin's room. He ran there and opened the door. Armin was sitting up in bed crying. Levi rushed over to him "what's wrong Armin?" Armin latched onto him "I had a bad dream."

Levi rubbed his back and nodded "What was it about?" Armin sniffled "I dreamed that I was in a dark room and couldn't see, then you showed up and you made the room bright again. But then you suddenly disappeared and the room was dark. Then it started to hurt me. The darkness hurt Levi. Where did you go?" by the end he was sobbing even harder. Levi furrowed his brow and held him close.

That sounded like a very disturbing dream, and thinking about it on the psychological side it even made sense. Armin viewed Levi as some kind of savior, or light, so he would fear Levi getting taken away. Levi sighed "I didn't leave Armin. I'm right here, it was just a dream." He whispered comfort until Armin calmed down. Armin got fidgety then. Levi looked at him.

Armin looked back hesitantly "Can... can I sleep in your room tonight?" Levi blinked "I... don't..." Armin looked close to tears again so Levi just sighed and nodded Armin brightened and hugged him. Levi rolled his eyes but smiled and let Armin follow him to his room. Armin crawled into on side of the bed and Levi crawled into the other side. Armin snuggled up to him and Levi let him. Armin smiled "Goodnight Levi." Levi smiled "Goodnight Armin."

Armin was asleep much faster than Levi. He was still thinking about Armin's nightmare and what he'd heard on the news. He wondered if he should tell Armin about it. He fell asleep then, with Armin held carefully in his arms. The next morning Levi took Armin to school with him and let Armin read at the table again. He looked around the room with sharp eyes and was pleased to note that it was mostly spotless. The bell rang and the classroom filled up quickly.

Levi took roll and class began. He taught until lunch then he gave Armin the lunch he'd made him and went to his own desk to eat. He watched Armin more carefully this time, not wanting a repeat. A few people approached Armin, including Sasha but Levi didn't find any of this that much of interest until Jeager approached Armin. Levi watched them like a hawk but wouldn't interrupt unless needed. Armin looked up as Eren approached.

Eren stopped in front of him "Hi Armin. I'm really sorry about yesterday. It was stupid of me." Armin didn't say anything. Eren smiled and it was only slightly awkward "Anyway Armin. I just wanted to say sorry." Armin finally spoke up "Okay. I forgive you." Eren beamed "Really?" Armin nodded, giving a small smile. Eren sat down next to him "What are you reading?" Armin smiled and began to talk about his book.

Eren nodded in interest now and then and Armin only paused to take bites of his sandwich and chew before he was off again. Levi watched and internally sighed, of course Armin would make friends with the Jeager brat. He also knew for sure that the way to get close to Armin was through books. He'd suspected it before but now it was confirmed.

About halfway through lunch Jeager had introduced Armin to Ackerman, who it seemed had been hiding a bit of a mother underneath her tough exterior because she took to Armin right away. All three talked through lunch and Levi just knew that if he let this continue Armin would want to keep being their friend but he would let it go, because Armin looked so happy and he deserved a good friend. Jeager was annoying and Ackerman was to protective but it was clear that they were good people so Levi let it happen, even if he might regret it later.


	5. Chapter 5

Armin was woken in the middle of the night by a loud noise outside his door. He sat up and rubbed his eyes. Just then the door opened slowly and a man came in. He wasn't very tall but the man who came in behind him was. Armin blinked "Who are you?" he asked. Were they some of Levi's friends? The men ignored him and the big one grabbed his arm. Armin tried to jerk his arm away but the man was to strong.

He tried to scream but the mans other hand wrapped around his mouth. The light from the window hit the man's face and Armin's blood ran cold. He'd seen this man before. He used to visit the Rodalls a lot. Armin felt tears fill his eyes and he bit the mans hand. The man let go with a curse and Armin managed a very short scream before the man slapped him in the face. The shorter man picked him up and they began to carry Armin from the room.

Armin squirmed and struggled but the shorter man was holding his mouth now in a way that Armin couldn't bite. The front door came into view and Armin squirmed one last time, falling from the mans arms and managed to run back the way he came. He almost made it to Levi's room before he was caught again. He managed to kick the wall loudly before they carried him from the house. Armin was thrown into a trunk and locked inside.

It was cramped and he couldn't see. He screamed and kicked and pushed for quite a while before he gave up and cried. He lay there shivering and sobbing for a while before he cried himself to sleep. He woke up about 30 minutes later to something digging into his back. He felt for it and it was a water bottle. He felt around some more and found a small bag of chips. Armin's throat was hurt from screaming so he took a swig of the water and ate a few chips.

He wanted to eat all of them but he didn't know how long he'd be in here. He shivered a little and lay back down, trying to conserve body heat. After what seemed like days but was really only a few hours the car rolled to a stop. Armin could hear the doors open and close and footsteps on gravel. He backed farther into the trunk as the footsteps came closer but it didn't stop the trunk from opening and Armin being dragged out and thrown into a dog carrier.

The water and chips were thrown in after him. Armin pushed against the door and tried to unlock it from the inside but it had been modified to need a key. The carrier was lifted up and brought to a large van. Armin was shoved in the back and the doors slammed closed. Armin sniffled a little as his situation became all to clear to him once more. He tried to get a little more comfortable and fell into an uneasy half sleep.

He could hear the road going by under the van and the occasional muffled conversation of the men who'd taken him. He was woken a little later by the sharp bang of the doors opening. He blinked at the sunlight that streamed into his face. It must have become light while they were driving. His cage was once again picked up and carried. The door was facing backwards so Armin didn't see very much before he was taken into a building.

He was carried to a medium sized room made of concrete with only a small cot in the corner. He was sat on the floor and the cage was unlocked. The men left the room. Armin hesitantly crawled out and looked around a little more.

There was a small table in the opposite corner with a small chair. Armin moved the table next to the bed then got the chips and water from the cage and put them on the table. He curled up on the bed under the thin blanket and cried, clutching the pillow to his chest. He wanted to be back with Levi.

~~~ Pov change ~~~

Levi was woken by a loud bang on the wall near his door. He got out of bed and made his way out of the room. He didn't see anything, then he noticed the small dent in his wall. He blinked in surprise before hurrying to check on Armin. He flung the door open and turned on the light, Armin wasn't there. He made his way to the living room and saw the front door wide open. He ran outside and managed to get a glimpse of the car before it turned a corner.

Levi blinked for a minute before what happened fully hit him and he had to sit down for a minute. Armin had been kidnapped. Armin was gone. He swallowed before standing up and immediately heading for the phone. It rang a few times "Levi it's 3 in the morning." came Erwin's tired voice. Levi ignore him "Armin's gone." he said, urgency creeping into his voice.

Erwin's voice came sharp and clear "What?" Levi swallowed "Armin's been taken. Get Hanji and get over here now." then he hung up. 10 minutes later he had Hanji and Erwin in his house. Erwin spoke "Tell us what happened." Levi sighed "I woke up and Armin was gone. There was a car driving down the road. It was a dark colored car and I didn't see a license plate." Hanji jumped up "We should call the police!" Erwin nodded "Yeah."

Levi nodded and went to get the phone. The police came and he told them what happened, they looked around for a bit then left saying they'd keep him updated. After they were gone Erwin and Hanji left and Levi sat in the living room. He felt exhausted and empty. He rubbed his temples and decided to go back to sleep. There was no way he was going in to work today. He called the school and told them then went back to bed. His sleep was filled with uneasy and vague dreams.


	6. Chapter 6

Levi was practically frantic. It had been two weeks since Armin had been kidnapped and he couldn't handle it.

He hated everything about this situation. He'd actually had to get a substitute to take his classes for him he'd been so stressed. Hanji and Erwin stopped by frequently to see how he was doing, which was obviously not well, Hanji had even made him a cake, which he hadn't eaten because Hanji couldn't cook to save her life but it was the thought that counted he supposed.

Monday was in two days which would start week three. Levi glanced at the phone as if willing it to ring and it be Hanji or Erwin telling him Armin had been found. He stayed like that for hours before falling into an uneasy sleep. His dreams were filled with darkness and running footsteps that never quite reached him.

~~~

Armin huddled in the corner of the tiny cell he'd been moved to after the fifth escape attempt.

He didn't even get to keep the blanket. Luckily it was warmer in this room. He hadn't had anything to eat in 3 days, though he'd had plenty to drink. A bottle of water was rolled into his cell every morning through the small gap at the bottom.

Armin was much more worse for wear than he'd been when he came here. He was covered in bruises and small cuts. The bruises from the many beatings he'd received for trying to escape and the cuts from attempt number 4. He'd actually gotten to the woods that time, he'd gotten caught when he ran right into a thorn bush and couldn't untangle himself in time.

Luckily there weren't any other injuries. He still didn't know why he'd been taken. They hadn't said a word to him but the few bits and pieces he had heard scared him. They had definitely talked about the Rodalls, the very thought of them was almost enough to make him cry.

He wanted his Levi. Would Levi even know where or how to find him though? Probably not. He suddenly heard footsteps near his cell and he hid farther against the wall, not that it would help, but he didn't have to worry. It was just somebody delivering something. The flap at the bottom opened and a tray of food was shoved in.

Armin's stomach jumped to his throat but he wasn't going over there until the person had left. When they had Armin quickly scurried over to the tray and began tearing into the meal of soup and bread. He stopped and waited after two or three bites and then began chewing again.

He remembered reading somewhere that if you hadn't eaten in a while and tried to eat to quickly you could make yourself sick. He ate slowly and carefully. Savoring each bite and saved half the bread for later. Who knew when he was going to get food again? With food in his stomach and the bread safely stowed in his pocket he made his way back to the corner. His full stomach soon made him sleepy and he huddled up and fell asleep.

It went on like this for a while. Water every morning and food every 3 days until one day the door opened. Armin blinked up at the man in surprise before huddling into the corner as far as he could. The man sneered at him "Time to go." and he grabbed Armin's arm and began to drag him out of the room.

Armin stumbled along on shaky legs and saw they were taking him outside! Maybe he could get away. The man stopped at a van and reached up to open the door. He opened it and threw Armin inside before closing and locking it.

Armin looked around and saw a window cracked open at the side. The men must not have noticed it. Armin snuck over to the window and quietly moved it to the side. He looked around outside and saw nobody around. Armin took a deep breath and began to drag himself through the barely large enough window. He wouldn't have fit if he hadn't been half starved. He dropped to the ground with a small "oomph" and a little bit of kicked up dirt before he looked around again and quickly dashed for the forest.

No shouts were heard as he ran so they must not have seen him. Armin hid behind a tree for a bit and watched the truck pull away. Then he turned and headed into the forest. He didn't know how far he'd traveled but he came across a large tree with a small hole at the bottom. Armin looked inside and nothing was there, it looked like an abandoned animal hole.

Armin figured it was as good a place as any, it was just large enough for him and when Armin dragged some leaves and sticks over it it didn't even look like there was anything there. Armin crawled inside and moved the pile of sticks and leaves over the entrance. He wiggled around till he got comfortable and fell asleep, his body heat in the small space warming it up quickly.


End file.
